Glacier's playoff hopes still alive, but must win out
Two weeks to go and one thing is set — Class AA has six teams who have qualified for the upcoming postseason. In that group is fourth-ranked Flathead (6-2).
That leaves five teams, including Glacier (3-5), battling for the two remaining playoff spots in the eight-team field.
Glacier gets an early start this week on improving its playoff chances by hosting Missoula Big Sky at Legends Stadium. The game kicks off tonight at 7.
“I can’t tell you how good it was for the kids to finish last Friday night,” Glacier coach Grady Bennett said of the 35-21 home victory over Helena Capital.
“They made the plays they needed to make to win the game. We scored 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter and did a lot of good things.”
Bennett and his staff has emphasized finishing strong and the Wolfpack finally did just that to pick up the victory.
“They have put themselves in position to do something really special,” he said of possibly making the playoffs.
“I’m proud of them, want them to keep it going.”
Closing out with two wins — the finale is Oct. 25 at Missoula Hellgate, also a Thursday night affair — would put Glacier at 5-5. That record might be just good enough to make the postseason if everything else falls Glacier’s way.
“Playing from 1-5, continuing to show up with great attitudes, believing, bringing enthusiam, postive energy says a lot about these kids,” Bennett said.
“Sometimes you attach negativity with a (losing) record, but this is a good group of kids.”
Winning out against two teams at 2-6 won’t be easy.
“They are the ones who put us out of the playoffs last year,” Bennett said of Big Sky.
Glacier finished at 4-6 in 2017, missing the postseason after eight straight years.
“They always play so hard,” he said of the Eagles.
“They are scrappy, physical, always give you a dogfight. They play with great heart. We will be in for a great battle.”
Regarding a Thursday game ...
“It shortens it up,” he said of the practice week.
“You have to combine a couple days (into one). Everything is accelerated, gets put in so much faster. You want to keep building on a successful thing once you get things rolling.”
Hellgate snapped a losing streak that dated back to October of 2012 on Sept. 21 with a 28-20 victory over Great Falls C.M. Russell. The Knights beat Billings Skyview the following week 41-27.
Also on the schedule tonight is Bozeman (8-0) at Great Falls High (4-4) and CMR at Billings West (7-1).
Flathead plays Friday night with Missoula Hellgate at Washington-Grizzly Stadium. It’s the second time the Braves have played at the stadium this fall, beating Missoula Sentinel 34-31 on Sept. 14.
The Braves conclude regular-season play Oct. 25 hosting fifth-ranked Helena High (6-2).
Postseason action begins Nov. 2 with the quarterfinals.
Billings Senior defeated Helena High 21-12 in last year’s championship game at Daylis Stadium in Billings.
Standings
Class AA
Overall
W L
*Bozeman 8 0
*Billings West 7 1
*Billings Senior 6 2
*Helena High 6 2
*Flathead 6 2
Great Falls High 4 4
Missoula Sentinel 4 4
Helena Capital 3 5
Butte 3 5
Glacier 3 5
Great Falls CMR 2 6
Missoula Big Sky 2 6
Missoula Hellgate 2 6
Billings Skyview 0 8
*Clinched playoff berth
This Week
Today
7 p.m. — Missoula Big Sky at Glacier
7 p.m. — Bozeman at Great Falls High
7 p.m. — Great Falls C.M. Russell at Billings West
Friday
7 p.m. — Flathead vs. Missoula Hellgate at Washington-Grizzly Stadium
7 p.m. — Billings Skyview at Butte
7 p.m. — Billings Senior at Helena Capital
7 p.m. — Helena High at Missoula Sentinel
Last Week
Flathead 38, Great Falls CMR 9
Glacier 35, Helena Capital 21
Billings Senior 42, Missoula Hellgate 6
Billings West 34, Missoula Sentinel 28
Bozeman 45, Missoula Big Sky 14
Butte 28, Great Falls 14
Helena High 57, Billings Skyview 14
Class A
Western Division
Northwestern
Conf. Overall
W L W L
Columbia Falls 4 0 6 1
Whitefish 3 1 5 3
Libby 3 1 4 4
Ronan 1 3 1 6
Browning 1 3 2 6
Polson 0 4 0 8
Friday’s Games
7 p.m. — Columbia Falls at Polson
7 p.m. — Browning at Ronan
7 p.m. — Whitefish at Libby
Last Week
Columbia Falls 40, Whitefish 7
Libby 54, Ronan 14
Browning 34, Polson 0
Southwestern
Conf. Overall
Hamilton 4 0 8 0
Dillon 4 0 6 1
Frenchtown 2 2 6 2
Corvallis 1 3 4 4
Butte Central 1 3 3 4
Stevensville 0 4 2 6
Eastern Division
Conf./Overall
W L
Billings Central 8 0
Laurel 7 1
Lewistown 6 2
Belgrade 5 3
Miles City 5 3
Sidney 3 5
Glendive 2 6
Livingston 2 6
Havre 2 6
Hardin 0 8
Class B
Western
Conf. Overall
W L W L
Missoula Loyola 5 0 7 1
Bigfork 4 1 6 1
Eureka 4 2 6 2
Florence 3 2 6 2
Deer Lodge 2 3 2 5
Thompson Falls 0 5 0 8
Anaconda 0 5 0 7
Friday
7 p.m. — Bigfork at Deer Lodge
7 p.m. — Missoula Loyola at Florence
7 p.m. — Thompson Falls at Anaconda
Eureka is idle
Last Week
Missoula Loyola 26, Bigfork 21
Eureka 45, Deer Lodge 12
Florence 49, Thompson Falls 6
Anaconda was idle
Northern
Conf. Overall
Fairfield 5 0 7 0
Glasgow 4 1 5 2
Malta 4 1 4 3
Cut Bank 3 3 4 4
Wolf Point 1 4 1 6
Conrad 1 4 1 6
Harlem 0 5 0 6
Southern
Conf. Overall
Big Timber 5 0 6 1
Manhattan 4 1 4 3
Townsend 3 2 4 3
Columbus 2 3 4 3
Three Forks 2 4 4 4
Whitehall 1 4 2 6
Jefferson 1 4 2 5
Eastern
Conf. Overall
Roundup 4 0 7 0
Colstrip 3 1 7 1
Huntley Project 3 1 5 2
Red Lodge 1 3 1 6
Shepherd 1 3 2 6
Baker 0 4 1 6
8 Man
West
Conf. Overall
W L W L
Drummond-Philipsburg 8 0 8 0
Charlo 6 2 6 2
Arlee 6 2 6 2
Alberton-Superior 6 2 6 2
St. Ignatius 4 4 4 4
Darby 4 4 4 4
Seeley-Swan 2 6 2 6
Victor 2 6 2 6
Plains 1 7 1 7
Troy 0 8 0 8
North
A Sub Division
Conf. Overall
Great Falls Central 5 0 7 1
Choteau 4 1 6 2
Chester-Joplin-Inverness 3 2 5 3
Belt 2 3 2 5
Box Elder 1 4 1 6
Hays-Lodgepole 0 5 1 5
B Sub Division
Conf. Overall
Shelby 6 0 7 0
Centerville 5 1 7 1
Chinook 4 2 4 4
Fort Benton 3 3 4 4
Simms 2 4 3 4
Cascade 1 5 1 7
Rocky Boy 0 6 0 6
South
Conf. Overall
Joliet 7 0 8 0
Hobson-Moore-Judith Gap 6 1 7 1
Ennis 5 2 5 3
Twin Bridges 4 3 4 4
Park City 3 4 3 4
Absarokee 2 5 2 6
Lone Peak 1 6 2 6
Harlowton 0 7 1 7
East
Conf. Overall
Fairview 8 0 8 0
Culbertson 7 1 7 1
Circle 6 2 6 2
Scobey 5 3 5 3
Broadus 5 3 5 3
Forsyth 3 5 3 5
Plentywood 3 5 3 5
Lame Deer 1 7 1 7
Lodge Grass 1 7 1 7
St. Labre 1 7 1 7
6 Man
West
Conf. Overall
W L W L
West Yellowstone 7 1 7 1
White Sulphur Springs 6 1 6 2
Hot Springs 6 1 8 1
Noxon 4 3 4 3
Valley Christian 4 3 4 4
Gardiner 2 5 2 6
Sheridan 2 5 3 5
Lincoln 1 6 1 6
Lima 0 7 0 7
North
Conf. Overall
Geraldine-Highwood 6 0 7 1
Big Sandy 5 1 5 2
Denton-Geyser-Stanford 4 2 5 3
Sunburst 4 2 5 3
Power-Dutton-Brady 2 4 4 4
Valier 2 4 3 5
North Star 1 5 1 5
Heart Butte 0 6 0 8
South
Conf. Overall
Grass Range-Winnett 8 0 9 0
Roy-Winifred 8 0 8 0
Bridger 6 2 7 2
Shields Valley 6 2 6 3
Reed Point-Rapelje 4 4 4 4
Fromberg 3 5 3 5
Plenty Coups 3 5 3 5
Broadview-Lavina 2 6 2 6
Northern Cheyenne 0 8 0 8
Custer-Hysham 0 8 0 8
East
Conf. Overall
Wibaux 6 0 7 0
Richey-Lambert 5 1 6 2
Jordan 4 2 6 2
Westby-Grenora 4 2 6 2
Savage 2 4 4 4
Bainville 2 4 4 4
Ekalaka 1 5 2 5
Froid-Lake 0 6 1 6
Rankings
By 406mtsports.com
Class AA
1. Bozeman (8-0)
2. Billings West (7-1)
3. Billings Senior (6-2)
4. Flathead (6-2)
5. Helena (6-2)
Class A
1. Hamilton (8-0)
2. Billings Central (8-0)
3. Columbia Falls (6-1)
4. Laurel (7-1)
5. Dillon (6-1)
Class B
1. Fairfield (7-0)
2. Roundup (7-0)
3. Missoula Loyola (7-1)
4. Bigfork (6-1)
5. Colstrip (7-1)
6. Big Timber (6-1)
7. Eureka (6-2)
8. Florence (6-2)
9. Huntley Project (5-2)
10. Glasgow (5-2)?
Class C 8-Man
1. Drummond-Philipsburg (8-0)
2. Shelby (7-0)
3. Fairview (8-0)
4. Joliet (8-0)
5. Hobson-Moore-Judith Gap (7-1)
6. Great Falls Central (7-1)
7. Charlo (6-2)
8. Culbertson (7-1)
9. Alberton-Superior (6-2)
10. Circle (6-2)
Class C 6-Man
1. Wibaux (7-0)
2. Geraldine-Highwood (7-1)
3. Grass Range-Winnett (9-0)
4. Hot Springs (8-1)
5. West Yellowstone (7-1)
6. Richey-Lambert (6-2)
7. Jordan (6-2)
8. Roy-Winifred (8-0)
9. Big Sandy (5-2)
10. Westby-Grenora (6-2)